SWISS launches new daily non-stop service to Shanghai

The new flights, which are operated with Airbus A340 equipment, provide a daily non-stop connection with mainland China to complement the airline's existing services to and from Hong Kong, and should further raise SWISS's profile and presence in the growing Chinese market.

The new route offers promising prospects: recent years have seen sizeable increases in the numbers of Swiss tourists visiting China and vice versa; and on the business front, trade volumes between the two countries have increased by almost 50% since 2005.

SWISS Chairman of the Board, Rolf P. Jetzer, said "The demand for business travel between Zurich and Shanghai is growing all the time… so we are delighted to be further expanding our long-haul network with the addition of our new non-stop Zurich-Shanghai service."

Also aboard the initial flight to Shanghai was Swiss Federal Councillor and Minister for Economic Affairs, Doris Leuthard, who underlined the importance of the new SWISS service.

The new service will also benefit from the fact that Air China and Shanghai Airlines recently joined Star Alliance, giving SWISS two well-established local partners offering onward connections from Shanghai to domestic destinations throughout China. And SWISS and Lufthansa are further raising customer benefit by coordinating their services to and from Shanghai. As a result, SWISS customers can choose to travel to Shanghai at various times of the day, either directly from Zurich or via Lufthansa's Frankfurt or Munich hubs.

© Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 12-May-08